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8.22.2014

Look, I know ALS is bad. People should donate to charities that study and fight it. But they should also give to other charities, and money is finite, at least in my bank accounts.

I donated $50 to WISPIRG last week because I support their cause. I don’t have $50 to donate to ALS research right now, and I am not dumping ice water on my head. So piss off.

I totally encourage people who do have infinite sums of money to donate A LOT to the fight against ALS, if that’s their bag, as well as other charities. Rich people with excessive money should spend it on good things.

Who knows, maybe if you throw more money at ALS, it will magically go away and everyone will be cured. But you know, you also need scientists and doctors to actually do the research and develop treatments and preventive measures. Just funneling money at something doesn’t usually automatically help it along. The money has to go to something, not just into the pockets of the people running the charities.

At this point the #icebucketchallenge meme has gotten so out of control, I don’t think people are donating anymore and some probably don’t even know what ALS is. They are just doing it to hop on the meme bandwagon.

Let me tell you something, this summer is not even hot enough to make dumping ice on my head worthwhile. Some people got electrocuted doing this challenge when a fire truck ladder hit some power lines. People could die from this thing.

And people in California should be ashamed about wasting all that water when they have the worst drought ever going on.

The point is, donate to whatever you want, or nothing at all if you can’t afford to. No one should force you to do something. Do it for yourself because you want to. If it is not done out of free will, it is not really charitable, it is coerced.

When I see someone do the #IBC, I think, “Wow, I did not know that person was so conformist and gullible…I thought they had FREEWILL.”

I think there is some kind of “white savior” complex driving people to do the ice bucket challenge. But dumping ice water on your head does not make you a hero. Asking others to donate does not make you a hero. Only YOU donating money makes you a hero, not coercing others to do it while you wash away your own guilt with a bucket of ice water.